Mary Richardson
A-Levels Debacle in England


Covid-19 disrupted school systems worldwide. Many children are still out of school. One of the issues impacted by school closures has been education assessment. How should students be assessed on their learning when school buildings are closed? Is it fair to hold tests when online learning has patchy coverage? And what happens if high stake tests can’t be held? Today I speak with Mary Richardson about how coronavirus impacted education assessment in England and how government, schools, universities, and students responded.

Mary Richardson is an Associate Professor of Education (Assessment) at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London. Prior to joining academia, she was a Senior Research Officer in the department of Research and Statistics for AQA conducting national studies relating to school-based examinations, testing regimes in schools and the impact of testing on children alongside the key role in awarding national examinations.

Citation: Richardson, Mary, interview with Will Brehm, FreshEd, 215, podcast audio, September 21, 2020.  https://freshedpodcast.com/richardson/